“A true teacher will never tell you what to do. But he will give you the knowledge with which you could decide what would be best for you to do.” – Christopher Pike, Sati”

How frustrating is it for you when you consistently watch your players turn directly into pressure and turn the ball over? Quite frustrating for me.

This spring season, our coaching staff has spent considerable time trying to hammer home the importance of playing backwards when few passing options to play forward exist. The difficult part – breaking the ingrained habits.  Nearly every player’s mentality….the opponent’s goal is in the direction of north, therefore, every kick of the ball should be in the direction of the goal. We are like broken records encouraging players to “play the way you face.”

Unfortunately, sometimes old habits die hard.

When players continue to do the same things over and over – and a turnover results most of the time – you have to wonder if your coaching message is getting through. Are the players hearing your message?  Is it a lack of understanding? Do you have search for a different way to deliver your message?  Or is it just staying consistent over time until the habit is broken?

Two weeks ago, one of my U9 players gave me this t-shirt. A clever gift.

Now, I fully understand the player hears the message.

The past few weeks has been a joy to watch more and more players react positively to the call, “RECYCLE.”  The ball is moving backwards to a supporting player in order to retain possession and provide time for the player on the ball to make better decisions.

Watch how many times the ball travels backwards in order to expose openings to go forwards.

By Erik Imler